3d Modeling

Author: Flatpyramid

3D Modeling is the creation, manipulation, and storage of geometric objects to represent objects that are all around us or virtual objects. The process of 3d modeling begins with the use of specialized 3d modeling software. The 3D artist develops a mathematical, wireframe representation of the object using specialized software. The final product is called a 3D model.

The 3d modeling process for 3D computer graphics is similar to sculpting. During this process geometric data is manipulated and prepared manually or automatically. There are three methods for creating and representing a 3d model. They are: polygonal 3d modeling, NURBS 3d modeling, and Splines and Patched 3d modeling.
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Animating a 3d Model

Author: Flatpyramid

Unlike movies that consist of many frames, 3D models cannot be animated by using the typical amount of frames per second which our eye attributes as blurring and creates on stable image – such as frames per second becoming the movies that we are used to seeing on a daily basis. Creating a 3D model that is to be used for animation is significantly different than creating a 3D model that will not be animated.

Creating a model for animation means that less attention will be paid to the background of the 3D model. Focus is going to be on what is moving within the scene, and this is the 3D model.

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The Creation Process of a 3d Model: Rendering

Author: Flatpyramid

Rendering is the third and final step in the simple creation of a 3D model. Rendering refers to the image being visualized with images being created from the 3D model.

There are many features of a rendering, these include; transparency, shading, shadows, reflection, depth of field, caustics, fogging, bump-mapping and texture mapping. These features are the most commonly used when an object has been rendered.

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3d Models and Their Uses

Author: Flatpyramid

3D or three dimensional models are used for a variety of purposes. Surgeons and filmmakers are only two of the many professions that use 3D models on a regular basis. 3D models are created by mapping various coordinates in a 3D space.

Medical professionals use detailed 3D models of organs to teach medical students, outline and plan surgical intervention as well as demonstrate procedures to students and patients. Plastic surgeons use detailed software to create 3D models of the body to demonstrate a “before and after” to the potential patient.

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The Importance of 3d Models in Video Games

Author: Flatpyramid

Have you ever wondered who the masterminds behind the characters that are used are in your favorite video and PC games? Each large game producing company has a staff of creative designers that match voices with faces, and design body types, names, species, and all aspects that comprise the physical features of those memorable personalities. Before a character is even considered by the company to use in a game, the designers are in charge of creating a detailed and precise 3D model of the character in progress to express the ideas, features, and purpose of the character as it pertains to the game.

A designer may go through a dozen models before a decision maker is impressed, and characters may also be adapted from several models given. These model designers use high tech premium programs and software that allow them to have full control of their ideas, and the ability to create symmetrical and proportionally correct characters. These finished models are able to be translated straight from the computer to a fabrication stage, and through the use of laser cutting, or stereo lithography, are brought to life as to-scale representations.

Once approved, these characters are taken from the original software, and are worked into the games as seen appropriate by the creators. The use of models in the production ensures a smooth transition from an idea, to a digital model, to a physical model, to your computer or TV screen.

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History of Computer Graphics

The field of computer graphics has developed alongside the development of the digital computer. In 1959, MIT’s Lincoln Labs TX-2 computer gave birth to the field of interactive computer graphics. By the mid 1960′s major corporations, such as TRW, Lockheed, General Electric and Sperry Rand, had already started research and development in computer graphics. IBM’s 2250 graphics terminal was the first commercially available graphics computer.

In 1969, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) initiated a Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH) to promote the generation and dissemination of information on computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH interests include simulation and modeling, computer generated art, digital motion analysis, text editing and composition, cartography and mapping, computer aided design, and computer graphics software and hardware.
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